Clip for holding sheets or blanks or the like



(No Model.)

s. G. BROWN. CLIP FOR HOLDING SHEETS 0E BLANKS OR THE LIKE.

Patented Mar. 16, 1897.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SIDNEY G. BROWN O F MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

CLIP FOR HOLDING SHEETSORBLANKS OR THE LIKE.

SPECIFICATION" forming part of Letters Patent No. 578,858, dated March 16, 1897.

Application filed September 30,1896. Serial No. 607,421. (No model.)

To all whom/it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SIDNEY G. BROWN, of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of lVisconsin, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Clips for Holding Sheets or Blanks or the Like, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which are a part of this specification.

My invention has relation to improvements in clips for holding sheets or blanks and the ike.

A railroad ticket-agent representing aparticular road is frequently called upon to sell a ticket from a point on his line to some distant point to which the road he represents does not entirely extend, but which point may be readily accessible in connection with other1 In such case he sells a cou-j pon-ticket which is provided with a coupon for each railroad over which the passenger, It' is customary in auditing departments of the differentrailcompeting lines.

having the same will travel.

roads to receive reports at stated periods each month from their several ticket-agents,which. reports set forth the tickets sold, describing in detail the coupons of the other lines. The; data given on these agents reports are apportioned on what are called apportionment-1 sheets, and the actual amount due each railroad, determined from their coupons, is divided off on the apportionment-sheets, each railroad companys proportion beingfooted up in columns, each column showing the to-;

tal amount due to each railroad interested in. tickets included in a particular sheet of an agents report, so that at stated periods set tlements with the difierent railroads inter-; ested can be readily effected. 1

My invention consists in providing an improved form of mechanism comprising a clip;

11111111 of labor and time, and it also permits the agents reports to be conveniently kept together on one side and the apportionmentshects on the other side, allowing entries to be readily made and the sheets to be turned at any time and also removed for attachment to a binder.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a plan view of the mechanism for holding the agents reports and the apportionment-sheets.

Fig. 2is an edge view of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an elevation at right angles to Fig. 2, a part being broken away. Fig. 4 is an end elevation, on an enlarged scale, of the holding device, showing the end thereof opposite to the end shown in Fig. 2 and showing only a fragment of the base. Fig. 5 is a cross-section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the clip or holding device, the numeral 11 indicates a supporting-base for the sheets. Secured to the center of this base and extending transversely across the same is the holding device or clip. This holding device is provided with a bottom or base plate 12, which is screwed down or otherwise suitably secured to the base 11, and

\ said bottom or base plate is provided near opposite extremities with upwardly-extending end pieces 13 13, preferably of inverted- V-shaped form. Projecting up from the bot tom or base plate 12 and arranged in two longitudinal rows are pins 14. J ournaled in the end pieces (which end pieces therefore form bearings) are parallel longitudinal shafts 15 15, arranged at a slight distance apart. Corresponding ends of these shafts project a slight distance beyond one ofthe end pieces and have secured thereto rigidly handles 16 16, said handles extending out obliquely in opposite directions. Mounted rigidly upon ICO each shaft between the V-shaped end pieces 13 is a plate 17. The twoplates extend down at an incline or slant from the shafts, conforming, approximately, to the line of the edges of the end pieces. These plates are provided on their lower edges with recesses 18, which correspond in number and location to the pins 14 and are adapted to receive said pins when the plates are down.-

Connecting the apices of the end pieces is a fixed rod 19. Several coiled springs 2O 2O encircle this rod, and at contiguous ends of these springs the extremities of the respective coils are bent down, one extremity bearing against one plate 17 and another extremity against the other plate. the plates are normally held firmly down, so

, that their lower edges will bear against the plate 12 or against the inner edges of the sheets resting on said plate.

I do not wish to be understood as confining myself to the plate 12 as provided with the of my invention.

upwardly-extending end pieces or bearings, as it is obvious that such end pieces or bearings could be connected directly to the base 11- without departing from the spirit and scope It therefore follows that where the expression bottom or base plate is used in claims 1 and 2 said expression is intended to cover either the base 11, provided with upwardly-extending bearings, or the plate 12, provided with'such bearings.

It will be understood that each sheet or blank which is to be held by my improved device is of such a size as to practically fill up one-half of the length of the base 11 on one side of the clip orholding device. WVhen the clip is employed .for holding agents reports, apportionment-sheets, &c., used in auditing departments of railroads, the agents reports are arranged on one side of the base, say the side designated by the numeral 25, and the apportionment-sheets on the other portion of the base, designated by the numeral 25, and any other sheets used in the auditing system may be likewise arranged. The inner edges of the sheets are first punched with holes, which correspond in number and location to the pins 14 and are adapted to be engaged by said pins.

In order to effect the engagement, the upper ends of the handles 16 are grasped and brought together, which will have the effect of raising the lower edges of the plates 17. The openings of the sheets can then be made to be engaged by the pins, and upon releasing the handles the lower edges of the plates will be forced down against the sheets and firmly clamp said sheets to the base. The lines of the sheets used in auditing departments of railroads are numbered correspondingly, so that when the agents reports are arranged, say, in the space 25 of the base 11 and are engaged by the row of pins 14, and the apportionment-sheets are arranged in the space 25 and are engaged by the other row of pins 14, the lines of the sheets in the respective spaces In this manner 25 and 25 will register, so that any entry on a particular line of a sheet on one side that requires another entry on a corresponding line of a sheet on the other side can be readily made.

It will be seen from the arrangement adopted by me that a most simple system results. The sheets, both agents reports and apportionment-sheets, can be made of a uniform and convenient size for handling and are so arranged in connection with the base and clip as to be held at their inner edges so that the lines of the sheets on the respective sides of the clip or holding device will register. The free turning of the sheets for the purpose of referring to the under sides thereof or making entries thereon is not interfered with, and from the fact that the plates 17 slope or slant downwardly no portion of the work is obscured, the slant of the plates also facilitating the turning of the pages. By bringing the handles together the lower edges of the plates can also be raised so that a sheet or sheets can be removed and transferred to my improved binder, which is made the subjectmatter of a separate application for patent of even date herewith.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. The combination, of a bottom or base plate provided with upwardly-extending opposite bearings, arranged a desired distance apart, shafts journaled in said bearings, plates mounted on the shafts so as to be turned therewith or thereon, a rod connecting the bearings, a spring or springs encircling the rod, and having downwardly-extending ends adapted to bear against the respective plates, and means for turning the plates so as to rotate them together to effect their simultaneous raising or lowering, or to operate them independently, to effect their independent turning.

2. The combination, of a bottom or base plate provided with upwardly-extending opposite bearings, arranged a desired distance apart, shafts journaled in said bearings, handles for turning the shafts, plates rigid to the shafts, a rod connecting the bearings, and a spring or springs encircling the rod and having downwardly-extending ends adapted to bear against the respective plates.

3. The combination, with a base extending longitudinally fora desired distance, of a clip or holding device, said clip or holding device connected to and intersecting the base at a medial point, and separating said base into two divisions adapted to contain blanks or sheets, the clip consisting of upwardly-extending bearings and pivoted plates arranged between and journaled in the bearings, and extending downwardly in opposite directions and at opposite inclines, and adapted, when down, to clamp the inner edges of sheets or blanks to the base, said sheets or blanks being disposed in the two divisions formed by the clip or holding device.

4. The combination, with a base extending IIO longitudinally for a desired distance, of a clip or holding device secured to and intersecting the base at a medial point, and consisting of upwardly extending bearings, shafts journaled in said bearings, plates mounted on the shafts so as to be turned therewith or thereon,

and extending downwardly therefrom in opposite directions and at opposite inclines, a rod connecting the bearings, and a spring or springs encircling the rod, and having down- 10 wardly extending ends adapted to bear against the respective plates.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

SIDNEY G. BROWN.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR L. MORSELL, ANNA V. FAUs'r. 

